A blur flashed across the city leaping across buildings.
Ice encased the area, slowly melting as time passed.
In the midst of the ice was Roako, his body immobilized as the cold started to steal the warmth of his flesh.
His body paled with each passing second. It turned from red to white, small pieces slowly fading to black.
The blur zoomed closer, slowly as it approached Roako. It knelt down, looking intently at him. Their hands slowly reached toward Roako, picking him up.
The person dashed, leaving the area frozen, slowly melting.
Roako felt the wind brushing against his body, yet his body was numb, immune to its effects.
Minutes passed before Roako slowly opened his eyes. His consciousness faded in an out, his voice coming out before it took over once again. "Wellin?"
"Quiet, just take a nap. I'll have a doctor look at you."
Wellin dashed toward the hospital, a loud explosion boomed outward as he neared.
He opened the door, looking around he saw panicked patients and dust flying through the air. Wellin stepped forward, glancing around observing his surroundings.
A large crater dug through the floor, a gaping hole through a steel-like vault.
He gazed past it, spotting Liora unconscious laying on the floor.
"No…" Wellin muttered before sprinting toward her.
He set Roako down next to Liora, inspecting her condition.
His tail flowed before sharply slapping her across the face. A loud twack echoed throughout the hospital. Her cheek flushed red, a tail mark appearing against it.
"Wake up, Liora…Wake up…" Wellin shook her body, her eyes slowly peering out.
Her body shuddered before looking up at him and then turning to look at Roako.
Wellin followed her gaze, looking toward Roako before averting his eyes to look at her. "Liora. What happened here?"
She let out a cough before clutching her head in pain. "We had an intruder steal something from the vaulttt. I don't know whattt." Liora pulled out a bandage, applying it to herself before pulling herself up.
Liora pointed toward Roako before speaking. "Take the boy and place him on a beddd. His body is too cold to be on the floorrr."
Wellin simply nodded following her directions.
He picked up Roako, carefully, before bringing him over and setting his body down.
His body began to glow blue, frost flowing onto his skin.
Liora's eyes widened, and without a second thought, she applied a red bandage to it. She slithered past Wellin, grabbing a blanket to warm up Roako's body temperature.
"What did the boy do this timeeee?" asked Liora, her eyes not shifting to look at Wellin.
Wellin scratched his head, staring past Liora. "Well… I'm not sure. I'm guessing it had to do with his Contract. His body couldn't handle the power."
Liora quickly glanced at Wellin before slithering closer to Roako. Her eyes were closely observing his cold skin.
She grabbed a syringe out of her bag, containing a yellow liquid. She looked at Roako before letting out a sigh and stabbing the syringe into his leg.
Wellin stood still, silently watching her.
Liora injected the liquid into Roako's body. At first, nothing appeared to happen. A few seconds later, his body spasmed in short pulses, and his skin began to fade back to normal.
Wellin tilted his head before letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
Her hand wiped against her head, small beads of sweat dripping down.
"He should be back to normal in a few hoursss." Liora hissed before turning away and looking at the crater left.
She shook her head before sliding down the hole into the vault.
Wellin stood by Roako, watching him before a sharp ringing came into his ears.
"Guh… What is that noise!?" Wellin screamed out, sticking his head out the door, spotting nothing.
He left the room and headed into the direction of the vault.
Roako's eyes began to open, his sharp pain quickly dissipated. He looked over his body, noticing that the red and white patches of skin faded. His forearms still held the same burn scar as before. Pain still lingered from the worm, yet the cold had left his body.
He stared at his hands before flexing his fingers. His gauntlet still attached, a thin layer of frost covering it. The frost didn't feel cold. It felt more like a reminder.
Roako stood up, struggling as his legs wobbled. The room was empty.
A sharp ringing came from out the door.
He quickly winced before heading forward.
The noise didn't stop, but Roako shook it off.
Roako looked around, recognizing the hospital scenary.
He thought to himself. "Why would Kyri help him? Liora must've helped him because of Kyri."
Kyri's voice began to echo in his head.
Roako shook his head, rapidly smacking himself to stop the noise. It wasn't time to think about that stuff. He needed to get ready and healed up for the beasts.
He quickly dashed forward, making his way through and out the hospital. Roako found himself back at the inn. Roako let out a deep sigh before pushing the doors forward entering the inn.
The inn was eerily quiet. Most people seemed to have evacuated.
Yet, Roako paid it no mind. He strolled his way up the stairs, before taking a deep rest on the uncomfortable bed.
He needed to rest.
His condition needed to be perfect.
He needed to be perfect.
Roako closed his eyes, drifting off into his dreams.
His body was cold. Too cold to move. He stood frozen in front of the beasts. Roako's mind pushed, attempting to fight against them. Yet, he remained still.
A sabertooth walked closer, each footstep echoing inside his mind. Roako punched forward, but nothing came behind it. His body didn't listen.
Ice splattered onto the floor. The sabertooth continued closer, its breath close enough to Roako for him to smell it. The musky stench, the saliva dripping down. The sharp, white-steel elongated canines.
Frost ran up his body, trapping his legs. The sabertooth bit forward, Roako's head in between its mouth.
Roako jolted up, his body in a cold sweat.
Ice along his bed.
The room was filled with cold air.
Roako looked around. The gauntlets remained at his side, calling out to him.
He peered out his window, and the city was silent, devoid of people.
A deep sigh exited his body as he grabbed the gauntlets and walked out. The inn was empty. Not a sound could be heard.
Roako walked down, looking around, yet not even the innkeeper was around. Everyone had evacuated.
He turned toward the door and left. The streets were empty. Shops were closed down, as if the place was ransacked.
His legs still felt wobbly, yet he pushed through and made his way toward the cave.
Time was hard to tell in the underworld. He couldn't have known how long he'd been asleep for.
The scenery changed, dark caves loomed closer as Roako neared. It was almost time. Roako had to prove himself.
The cave was booming with loud noises. Roako didn't dare to head any closer. He simply rested in a nearby building, waiting for the others.
Hours passed before anyone else had shown up. The first to show up was Baron. Upon seeing him arrive, Roako exited the building and headed toward him.
Baron looked to be a bit bruised and scratched up. A bag slung over his shoulder as he sat down next to the cave.
His eyes peered up, noticing the footsteps. Roako walked closer to Baron, a smile on his face, happy to see him.
As Roako approached, he began to notice the marks on Baron, dust covering his body.
"What happened to you?" Roako spoke up, before sitting down next to him.
Baron remained silent for a second before swinging the bag in front of him.
"I stole some items." Baron opened the bag, his face was empty as he reached in. Before Roako could reply Baron continued. "These supplies will help us survive."
His hand exited the bag, pulling out a few vials filled with a blue liquid. "These potions will help you recover. Use them when necessary."
Roako reached out to grab them, he brought it closer to him inspecting it. "This is kind of like the potion Liora gave me?"
Baron paused for a moment. He turned his head to look at Roako, quickly inspecting his condition before reaching back into the bag. "Something like that. I've got a few more items in here, especially for the others. You could use some armor though." Baron pulled out a set of leather armor, handing it to Roako.
"Oh? Thank you, Baron." Roako reached out to grab the armor. It was light, yet it felt tough in his hands.
Roako turned to put the armor on. It clung to his body, it was flexible enough to keep him moving. The toughness of the leather couldn't be understated, it didn't seem like even a knife could stab through it.
One by one, the rest of the team arrived.
Kael, Mo, Axel, and Loxus.
The team looked fully equipped and prepared. They looked tense. Each of them looked like they had a reason they couldn't back out of.
So, did Roako.
This fight would just be another stepping stone.
Baron passed out a few vials to each of the members. After which, Baron began to hand them other various equipment. A pendant for Mo, a pair of rings for Axel and Loxus, and a dagger for Kael.
Roako took a deep breath.
The time had come…
Kael informed the team about information he had found out.
"Wait. Before we proceed, I need to inform everyone. Both Mira and Jackson have already entered the den, but they looked to be outnumbered. The beasts number in hundreds if not thousands." The team exploded out, their gasps and shock reflected the tension.
Baron stepped up before inquiring. "Where did you get this information and if that's the case… The whole underworld might be doomed."
Kael averted his gaze, refusing to speak further.
"Fine. I trust your information, Kael. We'll kill as many as we can… Let's do our jobs." Baron's voice shifted from his usual stoic voice. It was different, more commanding and urgent.
Axel and Mo attempted to speak up, wanting to refuse his order. Yet, neither one of them fully committed.
Roako got into position waiting patiently behind cover. They watched as the sabertooths crawled out of the tunnels one by one.
Axel shot his virus into the sabertooths before returning back to the team.
"It'll take around an hour for my virus to fully infect. We'll have to go around then." Axel looked toward Baron, his voice was steady, yet his body showed otherwise.
Baron looked toward Axel, then turned to Mo. "I understand your fears…But don't worry, I'll be here to protect everyone until my bones give out."
They both gave a slight nod before waiting in their positions.
Loxus stood by, his parasite looked stronger than before. The parasite spread fully onto his arm, seeping slowly into his eyes.
The parasite on Axel remained as normal, stationed on his forearm.
Kael released a drone, scouting the situation, looking for the guardians or anything else unusual.
After an hour of waiting for the virus to course into their system, Axel forced it to activate.
Roako etched a marking into his gauntlets, preparing to freeze them in their tracks.
He let out a deep sigh before his thoughts took over.
Let the cold bite.
Let the ice be judgment.
Everything shatters beneath it.
Ice began to course his veins.
Roako muttered softly, too quiet for others to hear. "I'll shatter them all."